Guns in America

Pat Cunningham

Tuesday

Oct 3, 2017 at 5:14 PM

In the wake of the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, the subject of guns in America once again is a hot topic. Here are a few facts on the matter: The United States is far and away the world leader in gun ownership among all nations. But then, our country also suffers mass shootings […]

In the wake of the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, the subject of guns in America once again is a hot topic.

Here are a few facts on the matter:

The United States is far and away the world leader in gun ownership among all nations. But then, our country also suffers mass shootings at a rate at least 11 times higher than any other developed country, according to a study published in the International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences.

There are 88 guns for every 100 people in America. But the majority of us don't own guns, which means that those folks who do own guns tend to own lots of them. The United States has less than 5 percent of the global population, but it also has nearly half of the world's civilian-owned guns.

On the typical day in America, more than three people in this country die from gunshot wounds. Most of them are suicides. Indeed, a gun in the home is more likely to be used against someone who lives there than against an intruder.

Guns also are increasingly popular as the weapon of choice in murder cases. The homicide rate in America generally has declined in recent years, but murders involving guns have increased as a share of the overall total.

Americans overall are 25 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than people in other developed countries.

I could give you tons more unsettling facts about guns in America, but I should make one thing clear:

My purpose here is not to beat the proverbial drum for gun control. I have decided that the push for practical curbs on the firearms traffic in this country is pretty much a lost cause — mainly because of the political cowardice of our elected officials.

A nation that resists meaningful change in gun laws even in the wake of the massacre of little children at a school in Connecticut isn't going to suddenly be swayed by any arguments I could make.